The forest resource of Labrador: Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery provides a unique and current perspective

1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 667-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Drieman

The need for a current, regional perspective of the forest of Labrador was identified. Mapping of forest cover types, peat-lands, recent burns and clearcut disturbances was accomplished through visual interpretation of 1:1,000,000 scale Landsat Thematic mapper colour composite transparencies and the transfer of interpreted polygons to a geographic information system. The mapping and verification process is described in this paper. The end product, a forest resource map, provides the most up-to-date and detailed information on Labrador's forest cover types and disturbances available on a single map. The digital format of the map facilities area summaries, viewing and printing.

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guofan Shao ◽  
Herman H. Shugart ◽  
Guang Zhao ◽  
Shidong Zhao ◽  
Shaoxian Wang ◽  
...  

The distributions of various forest cover types on Changbai Mountain of northeastern China were examined by interpreting Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite data. The area studied consists of the Changbai Nature Reserve plus an 8 km wide buffer zone. The dominant forest cover types were mixed Korean pine (Pinuskoraiensis Sieb. & Zucc.) hardwood forest below 1100 m above sea level (asl) and evergreen coniferous forest between 1100 and 1650 m asl. These two forest cover types accounted for about 70% of the area inside the reserve, and 50% of the area outside the reserve. Other forest cover types included aspen (Populusdavidiana Dode) –white birch (Betulaplatyphylla Sukachev) forest, hardwood forest, larch (Larixolgensis A. Henry) forest, sparse forest land, and mountain birch (Betulaermanii Cham.) forest. Above the forest line (1950 m asl), a zone of tundra was distributed on the top of Changbai Mountain. The mountain birch forest was located between tundra and the evergreen forest. Human-altered areas, including forest clearcuts and urban areas, accounted for only 10% of the whole study area. More than 90% (in area) of the human-altered areas was found in the zone surrounding the reserve. To better protect the old-growth forest ecosystems inside and outside Changbai Nature Reserve, conservation planning for the reserve and forest management for the surrounding area need to be modified.


2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Jason C. Raines ◽  
Jason Grogan ◽  
I-Kuai Hung ◽  
James Kroll

Abstract Land cover maps have been produced using satellite imagery to monitor forest resources since the launch of Landsat 1. Research has shown that stacking leaf-on and leaf-off imagery (combining two separate images into one image for processing) may improve classification accuracy. It is assumed that the combination of data will aid in differentiation between forest types. In this study we explored potential benefits of using multidate imagery versus single-date imagery for operational forest cover classification as part of an annual remote sensing forest inventory system. Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery was used to classify land cover into four classes. Six band combinations were tested to determine differences in classification accuracy and if any were significant enough to justify the extra cost and increased difficulty of image acquisition. The effects of inclusion/exclusion of the moisture band (TM band 5) also were examined. Results show overall accuracy ranged from 72 to 79% with no significant difference between single and multidate classifications. We feel the minimal increase (3.06%) in overall accuracy, coupled with the operational difficulties of obtaining multiple (two), useable images per year, does not support the use of multidate stacked imagery. Additional research should focus on fully utilizing data from a single scene by improving classification methodologies.


2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea J. Maxie ◽  
Karen F. Hussey ◽  
Stacey J. Lowe ◽  
Kevin R. Middel ◽  
Bruce A. Pond ◽  
...  

In a portion of central Ontario, Canada we assessed the classification agreement between field-based estimates of forest stand composition and each of two mapped data sources used in wildlife habitat studies, the Forest Resource Inventory (FRI) and satellite-image derived Provincial Land Cover (PLC). At two study areas, Algonquin Provincial Park (APP) and Wildlife Management Unit 49 (WMU49), we surveyed 119 forest stands and 40 water and wetland stands. Correspondence levels between FRI and field classifications were 48% in APP and 44% in WMU49 when assessing six forest cover types. With only four simplified forest cover types, levels improved to 77% in APP and 63% in WMU49. Correspondence between PLC and field classifications for three forested stand types was approximately 63% in APP and 55% in WMU49. Because of the poor to moderate level of correspondence we detected between map and field classifications, we recommend that care be exercised when FRI or PLC maps are used in forest and wildlife research and management planning. Key words: forest resource inventory, FRI, provincial land cover, PLC, Landsat Thematic Mapper, map accuracy, map correspondence, map agreement, Ontario, wildlife habitat


Author(s):  
M. D. Velasco Gomez ◽  
R. Beuchle ◽  
Y. Shimabukuro ◽  
R. Grecchi ◽  
D. Simonetti ◽  
...  

Monitoring tropical forest cover is central to biodiversity preservation, terrestrial carbon stocks, essential ecosystem and climate functions, and ultimately, sustainable economic development. The Amazon forest is the Earth’s largest rainforest, and despite intensive studies on current deforestation rates, relatively little is known as to how these compare to historic (pre 1985) deforestation rates. We quantified land cover change between 1975 and 2014 in the so-called Arc of Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon, covering the southern stretch of the Amazon forest and part of the Cerrado biome. We applied a consistent method that made use of data from Landsat sensors: Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Operational Land Imager (OLI). We acquired suitable images from the US Geological Survey (USGS) for five epochs: 1975, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2014. We then performed land cover analysis for each epoch using a systematic sample of 156 sites, each one covering 10 km × 10 km, located at the confluence point of integer degree latitudes and longitudes. An object-based classification of the images was performed with five land cover classes: tree cover, tree cover mosaic, other wooded land, other land cover, and water. The automatic classification results were corrected by visual interpretation, and, when available, by comparison with higher resolution imagery. Our results show a decrease of forest cover of 24.2% in the last 40 years in the Brazilian Arc of Deforestation, with an average yearly net forest cover change rate of -0.71% for the 39 years considered.


1992 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoichi TORIGOE ◽  
Tetsuro AMANO ◽  
Kei OGAWA ◽  
Michikazu FUKUHARA

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document